The Trans-European Race, which will take place from London to Istanbul next week, has echoes of a mystery tour. The organisers, Wigan-based Lupine Travel, didn't reveal the location of checkpoints dotted across the continent until a few minutes before the start at 10am on Saturday. except for the first stop. James Finnerty, the race director, told me: 'I have been given the first checkpoint, which is in Paris, because demanding people to purchase a last-minute Eurostar ticket would be exploitative.
The seats were in Business Premier, at a one-way fare of £325. Space on the high-speed train is a scarce and much sought-after commodity, and the typical way in which such desirable items are allocated is by price. Good luck to Eurostar, which was arguably harder hit by the Covid pandemic - and absurd decisions on travel restrictions by governments on both sides of the Channel - than any other transport business.
Reservations for midweek, a day ahead, I can find London-Paris tickets for just £149 a way - though only on the last train of the day. All departures are charged at a range of between $195 and £218. In comparison, easyJet from Luton to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and Vueling from Gatwick to Paris Orly are well below the price of 100, even at the last minute.
The demand for goods is evidently red and supply is limited as a result of post-Brexit passport requirements. The UK government negotiated with British holidaymakers to become third-country nationals after the democratic decision to leave the European Union, requiring their passports to be carefully tested and stamped.
When the Eurostar terminals in London St Pancras International and elsewhere were being designed, no one anticipated such a situation. As a result, selling every seat, particularly on morning trains, simply isn't possible without the whole concise complex grinding to a halt. Capacity is limited.
For a summer assessment of the operation and to ask about those fares, I grabbed literally the last available seat on a train from London to Paris. On arrival in the French capital, I met with Eurostar's chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave.
The squeeze has eased since our last meeting, she says, thanks to increased staffing and improved eGates.
When we met in January, we really talked about the stations, he said. It is still one of my major concerns. We have improved since then, he said.
Good news, then - at least until the much-postponed EU entry/exit system is imposed with its requirements for fingerprinting and facial biometrics.
When will I be able to buy one of the UK's lead-in fares - from London to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam - again?
Indeed, at eurostar.com, the button for lowest fares shows that '' each-way tickets for September and beyond are available.
As the summer holiday surge goes away, there are still some good news - promotional fares offer a combination of Eurostar and Thalys trains to destinations like Liege, Aachen and Cologne. The two high-speed operators are merging, and smarter pricing is part of the plan.
''Is it really the mindset in which we want to be? ''